2017 NY Boys XC Preview: Class B

Class
B seems to have been settling into a dynasty mode in recent years.
Pittsford Mendon took three titles between 2013 and 2015, and there is
good reason to believe that a young and expanding Burnt Hills program is
putting together a streak of its own beginning with its 6th overall
last year. As the top rated team in the state even ahead of the Class A
squads, the Spartans appear to have a pretty clear march to a second
States triumph in a row.

Burnt Hills' rampage through Section 2
country may have to contend with just a renegade group of Spartans from Queensbury
making small mischief again, but there are a good group of other
Sectional battles that will likely go down to the wire. The biggest will
be in Section 1, where six highly rated teams will be in a scrum, and
Pearl River in very good position to unseat reigning champ Somers.
Pittsford Mendon is still the top power out in S5-B, but Brockport and
Honeoye Falls-Lima are watching for leaks in the Viking's ship. And the
Dragons of Cornwall are trying to regroup to unseat an upstart Goshen
team that took a B sectional last year for the first time since it won
at States in 1997.

Teams

Last year Burnt Hills staked its claim to the
big time by winning States with a top 5 there that included no juniors
or seniors. Now a year older, the Spartan sextet ofEvan Brennan, Tyler Berg, Aidan Gillooley, David Metacarpa, Kevin Board, and Nick Hunzicker
with oldster Michael Messere joining in are already running well above
the other teams in the state, and these guys clearly have a lot of room
to grow. A seventh States championship and second trip to Nationals eight
years after the first definitely seem in the cards.

If you had to
pick two teams that had the best chance to make Burnt Hills sweat a bit,
it would be two marauding seafarer types who have combined for five
States titles over the years. Pittsford Mendon put together top level
power and huge depth from 2013 to 2015 to win three state championships,
but though reigning champ Nathan Lawler may be the top runner in the
state and sophomore brother Sam speeding upward, the Vikings need more to get the depth to stay with Burnt Hills. Pearl River's Pirates
also seem set to do some rampaging with senior Matt Politis leading a
strong young group, but Burnt Hills still looks to be running a ways
ahead.

Individuals

Class B not only has New York's top team, but also the top
runner. Nathan Lawler stashed one States title in the bag last year and
is rated far ahead of the rest of the Class B runners, especially after
taking 40th at NXN Nationals. The pack well in back of him includes
Burnt Hills frontrunner Evan Brennan, Somers twins Matt and Greg Fusco,
Pearl Rivers' Matt Politis, and West Seneca East's Ray Sambrotto.